Alternative Naruto: The Jinchuuriki Tales
by The Sea's Wings
Summary: DISCONTINUED!
1. Chapter 1

**Alternative Naruto- Jinchuuriki Tales**

~Chapter One - The beginning~

* * *

The wind rushed through the dirt roads of Konoha, children ran through the streets, laughing and playing happily. Adults watching with smiles and laughter as they chatted together. The sky slowly turning pink, purple and orange from the sunset.

This peaceful scene was soon shattered as a small boy, barely seven years old ran through the streets, tears running down his tanned face. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks and bright blonde hair was like a beacon, reacting as a reminder for the loss of what happened the night the Kyuubi attacked their village.

"Get away you filthy demon!" The blond boy ran faster, his vision blurred slightly by his eyes as he ran towards the abandoned park.

This is what Uzamaki Naruto had to live with everyday. Rocks being thrown at him, insults and curses directed at his person, being beaten by shards of broken bear bottles and even other kids picked on him.

He was hated his much because he is a Jinchuuriki [Demon Host] for the Kyuubi [Nine-Tailed-Fox Demon], he wasn't supposed to be told but he found out by some drunk yelling it at him.

Naruto finally managed to escape to the park, which had no-one in it. Naruto sighed sadly and walked over to the swing, his breath laboured due to running non-stop for over an hour. His blue eyes seemed dead to the world as he sat on the swing, unsure about what to do with himself.

* * *

It was then he decided he'll run away. He'll get strong enough to protect his village and then they'll have to respect him! Naruto grinned and then left the park, unaware of the shy pink haired girl with green eyes that had watched him sadly.

Naruto ran to his home, grabbing a plain brown backpack and filled it with some supplies like ramen, a pot to cook it in, matches, chopsticks, extra clothes and a water canteen [bottle]. After that he got the new shuriken pouch he bought the other day, filled it with the basic ninja tools to protect himself.

After he done that, he snuck into the Hokage tower [using his Sexy-No-Jutsu] and ran into the scroll library and looked for the scroll of the Yondaime [4th] Hokage, he looked it over and pulling a notebook out of his bag he wrote down the names for the Jichiyose No Jutsu [Summoning Jutsu] and the Rasengan [Spiral Ball].

He wrote down the pointers and extra help parts of the explanation. Soon realizing he had little time left to put his plan into action, Naruto put the scroll back and put away his notebook, and then he left for the gates.

He watched the watch patrols and learned that every half an hour the guards would switch places with gave him a five minute chance to run out of the village without permission from the Sandaime Hokage.

Naruto waited for his chance, and when it happened he ran as quietly and as fast as he could. He didn't stop, however a triumphant grin spread over his young face as he headed for Suna, hopefully where a ninja could teach him how to be a ninja.

Naruto eventually had to stop for a break, he is human afterall. He searched around for an abandoned borrow where he could sleep in, he found one after 8 minutes of searching, right underneath an old willow tree.

Naruto crawled inside and curled up and fell asleep, unaware of the small wolf pups inside.

* * *

The next morning, a she-wolf and her mate walked back to their den, another unsuccessful hunt and now they needed to return to their hungry pups. The male growled as an unfamiliar scent came from their den, both wolves rushed in, only to stop in their tracks when they saw a human pup feeding bits of meat to their own pups.

* * *

Naruto grinned as the pups ate the bits of left over meat from this morning's hunt, he even offered some to the adult wolves. After he was done he played for a bit with the four wolf pups, laughing as the pups yapped happily.

Soon though Naruto had to leave and continue with his journey, as he was leaving one of the adult wolves dropped a scroll at his feet. "This is for me?" The wolf nodded, the small pack watching with wagging tails as Naruto continued his journey, howling their goodbyes for the young human pup.

* * *

**Someone please tell me how to create multiple chapters, I have no idea how! -_-0**

**Flames are welcomed.**

**Next chapter: Young Gaara!**

**I need help, later Gaara, Haku and my OC will be learning how to summon and I need ideas for what they're going to summon! Send me your ideas if you have any suggestions please. **

**My OC's summon animals have been decided. Each gets two summons. Naruto is gonna have Toads [obviously] and you'll understand why the wolf gave Naruto the scroll later in the story.**

**Later peeps!**


	2. Fuuka Yamashita and SabakuNoGaara

Jinchuuriki Tales- Chapter Two

It was mid afternoon when Naruto reached the borders of Suna, his feet were aching and his legs felt like the muscles were torn, but really they were sore from overuse.

Naruto smiled tiredly to himself as he saw the walls of Suna in the distance within the desert, there was no wind and the heat beat down on him like baseball bats on a spider [they're evil I tell you!] without mercy.

Naruto continued his slow stride, determined to get to the gates within the day.

"Hey kiddo, wha ya doin' out here?" Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin and whirled around, a kunai knife already in his hand as he shakily prepared himself for an attack.

But what he saw wasn't what he expected. Right in front of him was a 10 year old girl, she had three red tattoo like streaks on her right cheek, black, thin framed glasses and grey eyes. But what caught Naruto s attention about her was her skinny body frame, she was too skinny.

She looked like she hadn t eaten in weeks, she wore a lilac, long sleeved, short skirt dress with a yellow rimmed collar and yellow cuffs on the edge of the sleeves. There was dirt stains and rips in the dress, the green baggy trousers [pants for all the Americans out there] was faded at the knees with blood and dirt stains on them.

After Naruto's quick inspection of her he looked to her face, only for him to gasp in shock and his heart to scream in sorrow.

There was no light in her eyes, those haunting light grey eyes were dead from suffering and pain, outlined with barely visible concern for Naruto. Naruto could just tell by looking at the older girl that she was like him, she had eyes which held one visible sign...

_The feeling of being unwanted and unneeded._

Naruto knew that pain, that aching loneliness that threatened to consume and drown a person in sorrow as no-one else would stop by and care, looking down their noses at you, leaving you even more lonely, like no-one can save you.

And he hated it, it was like she knew this and had given up hope, just living because she had nothing else. Naruto wanted to help her, he didn't want anyone else to suffer like he had.

"Your eyes..." Naruto murmured, causing the girl's eyebrows to rise in silent questioning. "They're dead, you're like me..."

"I really doubt you're homeless or like me kid," the girl murmured with a snort. "Why are you here alone, where's you're mother? Or your father, for that matter."

"I don't have any parents," Naruto said sadly, his whole expression turning to one of sorrow instead of curiosity.

* * *

The girl instantly felt guilty seeing the happy boy so sad, she had been following him for a while now, two hours in fact, she had seen he was alone and could sense the demonic chakra within him, she wanted to investigate and not only that, she had seen him in her dreams, this very small confrontation that had just come to pass actually.

She knew he had something to do with her destiny, she was sure of it and what he just said about her having the same eyes as him...

_Is he a Jinchuuriki too?_ She asked herself as she knelt down and held onto his shoulder, causing his bright blue orbs to pierce her own ones. He surprised her, not that her pride would allow her to ever tell anyone and her facial expression never changed either.

She was as impassive as a rock, never changing and with no real goal, inspiration or want in her life. She just wanted a reason to live, although she was never good at reading body language she could sense his long for such a reason and when she saw the determination from the boy earlier, she could see he had a purpose and in the long run, she followed him in her last hope of finding a purpose too.

"I'll be your family," Naruto was sure his eyes were going to pop out of his head. _Did she say what I think she said?_

"W-what?" Naruto stuttered, staring at her openly in surprise.

"You heard me dimwit, come on, let's head over to Suna and get out of this Kami forsaken heat wave." She ordered, taking his hand in her skinny one and leading him towards the sandstone village.

* * *

"H-hey!" Naruto squeaked, suddenly remembering something important.

"What, Little Fish?" The girl replied, glancing at the smaller boy over her shoulder.

"Don't call me that! What's your name?" Naruto asked, irritated at the nickname she had given him. _I look nothing like a fish! He thought to himself angrily._

"Yamashita, Fuuka Yamashita. And you are?" Was her cool reply.

"Uzamaki Naruto, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki!" Yamashita stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed his shoulders, causing the little Kyuubi host to squeak from pain.

"Don't mock me, just because I'm a Jinchuuriki doesn't mean for you to pretend you are one!" She snarled, anger and outrage audiable in her voice as a scowl masked her young face, making her seem much older than what she really is.

"...someone hurt you didn't they?" Naruto asked as realisation came to him, causing her to let go of him and take an uncertain step backwards. "Someone pretended to be your friend and hurt you, didn't they?"

"...Hai." Yamashita replied, her voice barely heard by Naruto as he looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"I know what it's like, I won't hurt you, I promise... nee-chan." Naruto slowly grasped her hand, the taller girl nibbling at her lip in thought as eventually, after a heart shattering silence, her hand grasped his, her dark blue, claw-like nails gently scraping against his skin.

Her pale skin contrasted his own, her dark shade of blond hair contrasted his own, her small smile contrasted his grin. Yamashita and Naruto were completely different, yet at the same time, so much the same.

She was Yin, the darker of the two. And he was Yang, the lighter of the two.

"Eh, nee-chan, which Jinchuuriki are you?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I'm the Rokubi Jinchuuriki, my demon is the Rokubi-No-Itachi." Yamashita replied, looking at Naruto as she answered.

"Nee-chan, can you teach me to be a ninja?" Yamashita hesitated to answer him, considering what she could teach him when she herself was limited in ninja skills and techniques.

"...I know someone who can teach us."

* * *

Suna was an amazing experience for Naruto. It was completely different to what he was used to, there were no trees, only sandy roads, buildings made out of sandy stone and when he asked Yamashita what it was, she told him it was Sandstone.

There were no glass windows, only shutters which Yamashita had explained were to keep out any sand out during a sand storm, as the older shutters were shiny and worn down, some in need of repair.

Yamashita s expression never changed, until Naruto suddenly took off to where there was some smaller boy [if possible] on his own, watching with a lonely and sad face as he watched the other children playing.

She sighed to herself. _What have I gotten myself into? Or rather, what has the dimwit gotten me into?_

Naruto had seem the younger red haired and pale skinned boy on his own, wearing some sort of scarf thing around his neck [the tunic, seeing as Naruto never saw one in his life he wouldn t know what to call it] which was a plain sandy colour and the rest of his clothes were a dull brown.

What made Naruto run over was the suffering in his pale skin, pupil-less eyes. Naruto could tell that in some way, this red-haired boy was like him and Yamashita, but he needed to know, now!

"Hey!" The red head was startled by Naruto, who bounced up to him. "Why are you on your own?" The blond asked, Yamashita walking over boredly and standing behind Naruto like this was a waste of her time.

"I have a monster inside me..." Gaara replied nervously, intimidated by Yamashita's expressionless face, like so many of the faces of the people who hated him.

"A monster? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, something like excitement stirring within him.

"I have the Shukaku sealed inside me," Gaara murmured so quietly that Naruto and Yamashita barely caught what he said.

"Shukaku?" Yamashita asked, her scowl deepening, much to Gaara's fear. "That's the Ichibi, I had a feeling you're like us."

"L-like you?" Gaara asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I have a monster sealed inside me too! I have the Kyuubi in me," Naruto pointed to himself as he spoke. "And nee-chan has the Rokubi in her!" Naruto pointed to Yamashita as he finished his excited explanation.

Gaara smiled, tears shining in his sea foam green eyes. He had finally found tow people who understood him. "I'm Uzamaki Naruto!" The blond introduced himself, a fox-like grin crossing his face.

"And I'm Fuuka Yamashita," the girl introduced herself, giving a tiny smile as a sign of acceptance. "Do you wanna come with us, we're travelling to a place where we can grow strong and gain the respect of people. Would you like to join us, Sabaku-No-Gaara?"

"Hai, but how did you know my name?" Gaara asked, innocent curiosity gracing his delicate features.

"Rumours," Yamashita answered shortly, her usual emotionless mask back on. "If you wanna come with us, hurry and pack, we ll give you two hours to get ready before we leave."

* * *

**How'd you like that peeps? Please comment, flames are allowed [I need all the advice I can get] and suggestions for Gaara and Haku's summons are still open.**


	3. Haku the Yonbi Jinchuuriki

**Jinchuuriki Tales- Chapter Three**

**~Haku the Yonbi Jinchuuriki~**

Yamashita and Naruto didn't have to wait long. Within the hour Gaara had gathered what he needed and together, all three set out for the ports.

"Nee-chan, why are we here?" Naruto asked.

"Shh, the guard will hear us!" Yamashita snapped, hiding behind some crates with Naruto and Gaara within the small docks of Suna. "Boat is the fastest way to travel to where we need to go; we'll stop at Kiri and get off there."

"Why at Kiri?" Gaara asked, watching his comrades.

"Just a feeling I have," Yamashita replied mysteriously. "We're heading for a Priest who is said to have unlocked a way to seal demons properly and 'tame' them within the Lightning Country. There we can get proper seals to stop our demons from trying to take over at any point in time."

"Whoa, you really planned ahead nee-chan!" Naruto whispered in awe, proud of his 'nee-chan'.

"I've been planning to go even before I met you Naruto, that man is our only hope to ever learning how to control the power of our demons." Yamashita murmured without seemingly any care, but underneath, her heart was pounding in fear. _What if we get caught? What if the ship didn't stop at Kiri port but into some other country, taking them off course?_

Yamashita mentally scolded herself for getting nervous, panicking will get her no-where, she knew that and calmed herself. She felt the need to be strong for the younger Jinchuuriki Hosts, she wanted to protect them. She had no idea where the need came from, maybe it was partly to do with Rokubi. But unbeknownst to her, it was just her becoming attached to the two loveable Demon Hosts.

"Hey Yamashita-san, what's your story?" Gaara asked with a sudden burst of confidence.

* * *

Yamashita sat with her back to the crates, watching both with calm yet slightly affectionate eyes.

"My story? There's not really much to tell... I can't remember much because I've tried to forget it, but I lived with my Clan within the Earth Country. My Clan has super-human strength which can only come from a member of my Clan, the Fuuka Clan. Rokubi sealed himself inside me willingly because he had no heir to call his own and there were no female demons to mate with, so he sealed himself inside me so I could continue his legacy...

However, my people feared me for it. My whole Clan, except my father, made sure my life was a living hell. Like I said, I don't remember much from when I tried to forget." Yamashita licked her dry and cracked lips before continuing. "After I recently turned nine, I ran away and left the Earth Country, journeying in hope vain hope that I could find a place to call home or find others like myself. I wondered for a year... and then I found you two."

Yamashita rubbed her skinny arms as the cold of the desert night started to effect her. "What about you, Gaara?"

"My story is like yours, but I had my uncle... my dad is the Kazekage and he never liked me..." Gaara cried softly whilst Yamashita pulled the small red head into her lap, holding the crying boy to her as a way of comfort. She felt good doing it, she never had affection shown to her like that other than her father... she was like a miniature version of him, she looked exactly like him. Remembering her father always made her sad, but she refused to cry, she promised herself never to cry again and she intended to keep that promise.

Naruto snuggled up to her, feeling slightly left out. "Naruto, what's your story?" Yamashita asked, now that Gaara had stopped crying she ran her hand through his short messy locks of red hair, keeping him calm and relaxed as he held onto her clothes with his tiny hands. Her other hand ran up and down Naruto's arm as a way of comfort as she leaned her chin on his shoulder, watching through the gap between the crates to keep an eye out for when the guards take their two minute break to make a mad dash for the boat soon to be heading for Kiri.

"I ran away from Konoha... I found out by some drunk that I was the Kyuubi Host and after this week's beating I decided to runaway. I don't remember my parents or any other family members, no-one wanted to look after me so I was left alone..." Yamashita held Naruto closer to her when she noticed his voice break, barely holding in the anguished cries waiting to escape his mouth.

_Humans really disgust me sometimes, _Yamashita thought to herself, quickly with both boys in her arms, made a mad dash for the now departing ship heading for Kiri. None of the guards noticed and Yamashita ran belong deck to where the supplies where hidden.

As soon as they found the cheese section, Yamashita set both the boys down and grabbed some of the cheese and devoured it hungrily. She hadn't eaten in three days and never learned how to hunt so she always stole food from pubs and cellars to survive.

Gaara and Naruto stared with amazed expressions [0.o] at how fast she devoured the large block of extremely strong cheese and moving on further down the isle to where the chocolate was and consumed some of the bars of sweet chocolate. Quickly going back and taking some strips of cloth from her sleeves she wrapped it around some cheese and pulled out a wrapped up and worn old brown bag she put the wrapped up cheese inside it.

"Supplies for our journey," Yamashita answered their unspoken question. "Gather up as much food and water as you can, we'll need it for our journey." Both boys immediately set into action, gathering any foods into their bag and filling up spare water canteens with water and red wine.

If Naruto was told he would have met other Jinchuuriki a week ago, he would have laughed in their face.

If Gaara had been told he would be going on an adventure with people who understood him to get his seal set properly he would have turned his back to them, hiding the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

If Yamashita had been told she would be looking after two young boys who understood her and actually going out of her way to help them she would have snorted and walked off, thinking said person was bonkers.

But now that the three friends considered it, nothing was expected in their lives. Yamashita wasn't sure if the rumour about the Priest was true, Naruto wasn't sure if he was strong enough to keep going with his goal and Gaara wasn't sure if his dreams would come true.

It was a fool's hope, but all three were willing to risk it.

* * *

Four days later in the early morning, Yamashita jumped out the docks of Kiri, catching Naruto and Gaara as they jumped into her awaiting arms onto the next part of their journey. The three walked through the city, Yamashita easily stopping anyone who tried to steal anything from them, via punching their head which exploded under the force. It was snowing and cold, Gaara, not used to feeling this cold, was shivering terribly, as was Naruto because there was no snow in Konoha. Yamashita had managed to steal some warm cloaks for the three, keeping a spare in case Gaara or Naruto ruined theirs.

They stopped once at midday to eat some cheese, bread and chocolate and drink some red wine and water, after a ten minute break from eating they set off again.

As they walked across one of the many bridges they saw a small child on their own and immediately Naruto walked over to the child, Gaara following suit. I sweat these two will be the death of me. Yamashita thought to herself with a sigh before moving beside them as Naruto started a conversation with the homeless child.

The child had dark brown hair and eyes, incredibly beautiful and although the child looked feminine, Yamashita could tell the child was actually a boy. His clothes were rags and couldn't really be called clothes, they barely covered him and was so thin it wouldn't keep him warm.

"Hey, I'm Naruto! How come you're on your own?" Naruto asked, Gaara standing shyly beside the blond boy and Yamashita silently standing beside them with her arms crossed and watching the scene boredly. This is de ja vu all over again. She thought to herself.

"You three have eyes like mine," the dark haired boy replied with a smile on his face. Yamashita's eyebrows rose as Gaara gasped and Naruto grinned.

"You're a Jinchuuriki too?!" Naruto exclaimed, causing a look of slight panic on the dark haired boy's face. "I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Gaara here is the Ichibi Jinchuuriki and Yamashita, the scowling girl is the Rokubi Jinchuuriki!" Yamashita bopped Naruto on the head. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"Yell it out to the whole world why don't you? In case you forgot, not everyone likes Jinchuuriki, luckily no-one else is around." Naruto giggled nervously, feeling like a baka for not realizing that earlier.

"I'm the Yonbi Jinchuuriki," the dark haired boy interrupted, now standing as he smiled kindly, easily putting Naruto, Gaara and Yamashita at ease. "I'm Haku, I'm one of the last with a Kekkei Genkai here, everyone thought that people with a Kekkei Genkai were cursed so we had to hide, but my father found out that my mother hid the secret of my Kekkei Genkai and he killed her, I lost control and... killed everyone in sight." Haku finished his story with a sad face.

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Naruto offered, surprising Haku. "Yamashita's taking us to this Priest in the Land of Lightning where we can get proper seals to control our Demons, maybe he can help you control your Kekkei Genkai too!"

"...I'd like that," Haku answered with a smile. "Arigato, I owe you everything."

"Feh, don't worry about it midget." Yamashita replied, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Here, take the spare coat, you're skinnier than me and that's saying something!" Haku accepted the coat gratefully.

"Let's get going!" Naruto exclaimed with a fist in the air, jumping in excitement, only to fall over on a patch of ice.

"Dimwit," murmured Yamashita as Gaara and Haku helped Naruto up. The boys followed the older girl as the four set off on their almost impossible journey.

* * *

**Hey there peeps! I won't be back for another four days, I'm on a camping trip! ^_^ Lucky me! After that I have to go to my step grandfather's funeral. -_-**

**So I most likely won't update for five days, four in the least. See ya until then,** _MatsuoChiaki_


	4. The alternatives

**Alternative Naruto- Jinchuuriki Tales**

**Chapter Four**

With this... unusual company, was it the first time Haku ever drank wine or ate chocolate, much Naruto, Gaara and Yamashita's surprise. All four had stopped in the afternoon into a cave just outside Kiri.

Haku had noticed the taste in the air that signified rain and storm so they took shelter into a nearby cave and now it was dark and raining. They had a fire roaring and cooking Ramen with the pots Naruto brought and some water from their water supply.

And then Yamashita decided to play truth or dare.

"Nee-chan, what're you doing?" Naruto asked, all three boys watching with curiosity as the oldest of their group mixed some cheese and chocolate into the prawn flavored Ramen, an evil grin on her lips that caused the boys to shudder as a bad feeling set over them.

"This," Yamashita pointed at the brown... stuff in the pot. "Is the forfeit when we play truth or dare." Gaara's face paled and Haku's had a slight look of horror.

_Surely she wouldn't make us eat this?_ Haku asked himself, but soon he'd realize that she was deadly serious.

"No way, I'm not playing you crazy onna!" Naruto cried out, only to be cut off when a spoon of the stuff was forced into his mouth, Yamashita holding onto his nose, forcing the poor blond boy to swallow the stuff.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Gaara whimpered, his face turning slightly green.

_I guess she is serious_. Haku thought with a sweat drop rolling down the back of his head, which had been brushed by her earlier. _I think this girl has a split personality, first she's serious and then she's stuffing food which I'm sure shouldn't be edible down our throats and laughing like a mad scientist. _

"...Hey, that was actually pretty tasty!" Naruto exclaimed, snatching the spoon from Yamashita as he finished off the rest of his Ramen. _I have the strangest traveling companions. _Thought Haku as multiple sweat drops ran down the back of his head.

* * *

It was later at night when the four Jinchuuriki decided to explore the cave they found, they stared in awe at the rock on the ceiling, which was shaped like dripping water or like icicles. Sharp rocks, not at all worn down was the floor, Yamashita and Haku noticed the lack of worn footpaths in the cave, which hinted lack of human or animal contact within their hiding place, much to their relief. The four also found crystal clear water, which was bubbling and warm.

"It's a hot spring," Haku murmured. All four looked at each other and then hastily pulled off their clothes and jumped into the water, enjoying the warm and soothing water, causing the tensed muscles to relax, soon all four started to clean themselves.

"Don't we need soap?" Gaara asked after a while, Yamashita got out, a large burn-like scar covering her shoulders and, Gaara guessed, about two thirds of her back.

"I took some from the ship a couple of days ago, it's in my bag." Yamashita left, leaving the three boys alone in the hot spring.

"...What do you think caused the scar on nee-chan's back?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know," Gaara replied. "You don't think someone hurt her, did they?"

"I don't think so," Haku replied. "But we shouldn't pry, she'll tell us when she's ready." The dark haired, feminine looking boy told his companions wisely, seeming older than his eight year old self truly is.

"You're right, but I'm worried about nee-chan." Naruto murmured not unhappily, but in obvious concern, something Gaara nor Haku knew how to soothe.

"Hey twirps, I'm back!" Yamashita called, her pale skinned and skinny form easy to see in the dimly light cavern.

_Another affectionate nickname for us_, Haku and Gaara thought with a sigh.

"Hey, I'm not a twirp!" Naruto yelled, his temper coming to play. Yamashita smirked, four bars of soap in her hands, two in each skinny hand.

"Here Fox, you get the orange one." She tossed the soap to Naruto, who scrambled to catch it. "Gaara, I got you the yellow one!" Yamashita passed him the yellow bar of soap. "Haku, you get green." Haku took the bar of soap gratefully, smelling the green bar.

It was one of the few nice things Haku had ever owned, his parents were poor and could rarely afford soap. _It smells like... mint_. He thought, surprised at the nice scent coming from the soap. _Where did she get this?_

"It smells like bananas!" Naruto exclaimed, looking over the soap with a funny look on his face.

"Mine smells like oranges and mangoes," Gaara added, his face showing a look of surprise on it.

"Yeah, they're scented, I picked 'em out cuz the clean smell will last longer, Haku's smells like mint and mine smells like bubblegum." She showed her blue bar of soap to them. "Now, let's get scrubbing!"

"What about our hair?" Naruto asked, Haku did have to admit, most people needed Shampoo to wash their hair, something he was sure none of them had.

"Use the soap to wash your hair," Yamashita replied with a blunt voice that stated how much she thought about it, -nothing- as she washed her legs.

Haku washed off his body, scrubbing as hard as he could, getting off as much grime and dirt as possible. He couldn't remember the last time he had a bath or washed even. It was a relief for all four to be able to get that clean and before they headed off tomorrow, they'd have another bath.

It was harder to wash the soap out of their hair than they thought, but with antagonizing patience, they managed to get every last soap sud out of their hair.

By the time they came back to camp, the fire was almost gone and Yamashita had to put new logs on and take extra time starting the fire again until it was big enough to warm their little campsite. It was still snowing hard outside and Haku mentioned that these storms could last for days or even weeks or months.

"In that case, we'll just have to sit it out and wait." Yamashita had replied, sitting back on her coat with a lazy sigh of satisfaction.

"I wouldn't mind living here," Gaara said suddenly, causing the other three to look to the youngest of the group. "We can hunt, use furs for clothes, we have the springs for baths and we have each other!"

They all sat in silence, considering the tempting idea of living in this isolated and remote area where they wouldn't be judged, discriminated or hated for existing.

* * *

Gaara was thinking about the peace, although he'd never be able to sleep, he'd still have company. Yamashita, Naruto and Haku weren't just friends, they were family.

His real family never cared much, he saw that now, not like the gentle, kind and evr patient Haku.

Or the hyper, energetic and warm Naruto, with his short temper and amusing arguments with Yamashita.

Or Yamashita even, although she can be mean and crude, she cared in her own way, she let them follow her without a complaint, she looked after him and kept him safe and hugged him close to her when she slept.

Although asleep and didn't know what was going on around her, she made him feel safe. He couldn't ask for more than that.

* * *

Naruto thought about friends, although he didn't have many and Yamashita and his friendship was kinda... strange, they were the best of friends, able to confide anything to each other.

Naruto realized suddenly, how much he didn't need Konoha, he had his precious people with him and they cared for him. He didn't need to become Hokage, or to become a great ninja to show who he was.

Sure, he needed to know the skills of a ninja so he can protect Yamashita, Haku and Gaara, but he was happy now, the way things were.

* * *

Haku was happy wherever they stayed, as long as they were with him. The four were a strange group, Yamashita the leader, with a 'diamond in the rough' personality.

Naruto with his ever understanding eyes and hyper personality that when he looked at you, it made you feel warm, just knowing he cared.

And then there was Gaara, the quiet boy who would listen to whatever anyone said and in his own way, cared for all four, the little things like smiling and holding one of their hands when they were sad or scared, just well... making them comfortable.

Yes, Haku wanted nothing more than to stay there forever with his... family.

* * *

Yamashita thought about it, she wanted to stay there, she really did. But what about the seals? If they stayed, none of their seals would be properly fixed. What if one of them lost control? What if they killed themselves over using chakra or hurt some innocent passer by?

It would give them away, they'd be found and followed, forced back to their villages and become even more miserable than they were before.

No, Yamashita knew she could never do that to her little ones. She wanted them to be happy, **she** wanted to be happy. Whether the Priest existed or not, she wasn't sure, but they had to try.

With her mind set, Yamashita voiced her thoughts.

* * *

"No, we can't stay." Seeing the sad faces she sighed and explained her thoughts and the consequences on what could happen if they didn't leave for the Priest.

"This isn't fair!" Naruto exclaimed, tears in his eyes. "Doesn't Kami-sama care what's happening? Why is this happening to us? He couldn't exist if there's so much suffering in the world!" Haku and Gaara gasped in surprise, both being religious it was a shock to hear what Naruto said.

"It's not that he doesn't love us, Naruto." Yamashita answered, scowling slightly as she thought about what to say. "I doesn't matter if we exist, Kami-sama had us made so we had free will, free will to survive, free will on whether to take revenge or to care but either way, giving us free will means no interference from him. Either way, we're on our own."

Reality crashed down on the three boys and even heavier on Yamashita, it seemed almost impossible now to find the Priest, gain respect or live a happy life. But Kami-sama gave them the free will to carry on or just whine in the dust. None of them were going to sit around and whine about it, with their goal set in mind, Yamashita left the cave, taking a knife with her to hunt.

* * *

**Sorry, kinda rushed this one. I managed to find an internet connection from where I'm camping, yay! Anyway, I probably won't update for two or three days. Sorry about that folks!**

**Read my other stories too if you're bored.**


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